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 Despite a defensive adjustment that attempted to slow Aldridge's
pace down, he delivered another scintillating performance and the
Trail Blazers defeated Houston 112-105 on Wednesday night at Toyota
Center to take a 2-0 lead in a Western Conference quarterfinal
series.
Houston forced Aldridge out of the post, where he crushed the
Rockets en route to a 46-point, 18-rebound effort on Sunday night,
yet Aldridge still managed to pour in 43 points and corral eight
rebounds to win his duel with Rockets center Dwight Howard, who
paired 32 points with 14 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Aldridge, one of the most prolific midrange scorers in the NBA,
dominated from that area on the floor, making 13 of 15 shots from
the field through the close of the third quarter as Portland built a
workable margin.
"God blessed me with some skill level because last game it was all
inside and this game it was all outside," Aldridge said. "That's why
you go home every summer and try to get better. You're always trying
to come back with something more every year and now I have that
balance of playing inside and outside."
Also critical for Portland was the performance of its bench, with
guard Mo Williams and forward Dorell Wright combining for 28 points
in support of Aldridge and guard Damian Lillard (18 points, 11
assists).
Game 3 is Friday night at the Moda Center in Portland.
Rockets guard James Harden delivered his second subpar performance
of the series, missing 13 of 19 shots from the floor while scoring
18 points and committing five turnovers before fouling out late in
the fourth quarter. Harden missed 20 of 28 shots in the series
opener.
Houston forward Chandler Parsons (15 points) missed 10 of 15 shots
from the floor. The Rockets' defense was abysmal again, but their
ball movement offensively was equally poor. Houston totaled just 16
assists for a second consecutive game, which is key to its inability
to match Portland.
"I'm not worried about my offense," Harden said. "I'm worried about
our defense, our defense as a team. When we get stops and get out in
transition, everybody feels good about themselves and that's when
the assists flow in and things start going well. If we can't get
stops, it makes it more difficult. They are a very good team."
After playing Howard to a standstill in the first half, Aldridge
scored 16 third-quarter points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field to
push the Trail Blazers to an 83-77 lead heading into the fourth
quarter. He scored six points in just over a minute to boost their
lead to 67-58 and, after the Rockets responded with a 9-0 run,
Aldridge drilled another midrange jumper.
With 6.7 seconds left in the third quarter, Aldridge nailed a
step-back 18-footer and the Rockets were in scramble mode the rest
of the way.
"What can they do to stop him," Lillard said of his thoughts while
watching Aldridge tear apart the Rockets. "He was hitting tough
fadeaways, getting into the lane and getting guys in the air and
drawing fouls. He was great once again just like Game 1. He really
carried our team. He played like an MVP again."
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The first half offered a spectacular display of one-upmanship
between Howard and Aldridge, with Howard scoring a
franchise-postseason-record 19 first-quarter points after a sizzling
6-of-6 shooting start.
Aldridge was not quite as hot early — he scored 11 points in the
first quarter — but caught fire in the second and nearly matched
Howard by intermission.
After Howard completed an alley-oop with 5:41 left in the half,
Aldridge scored 10 consecutive points for the Trail Blazers. His
15-foot fadeaway with 3:12 left cut the deficit to 50-46. Aldridge
added two free throws before the half closed, upping his total to
23, just two shy of Howard's 25. The energy Howard supplied with his
raucous start was negated.
"We've got to move the ball and attack," McHale said. "We can't hold
it. We've got to set better picks. We've got to have more flow and
more side to side.
"We really haven't moved the ball really well. We haven't shot too
well either."
NOTES: Rockets C Dwight Howard set a franchise record for points in
the first quarter of a playoff game with 19. Hall of Fame C Hakeem
Olajuwon scored 18 points in the first quarter of Game 4 of a
Western Conference first round series against the Utah Jazz on May
5, 1995. ... Rockets G Patrick Beverley was in the starting lineup
despite suffering in Game 1 a re-aggravation of a right knee strain
that sidelined him for eight games down the stretch of the regular
season. ... Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts expressed a desire to
generate more production from his bench, particularly during those
stretches when F LaMarcus Aldridge takes breathers. Aldridge scored
46 points and grabbed 18 rebounds while logging 45 minutes in Game
1, a 122-120 overtime win for Portland. The Trail Blazers were a
minus-15 in the eight minutes Aldridge rested on the bench.
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